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The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL). The conference was created in 1970, after the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) were merged into the NFL. The champion of the AFC plays the Super Bowl against the winner of the National Football Conference (NFC).
In this article I will explain what the AFC is, how it originated and what the competition looks like.
What we discuss in this comprehensive post:
The American Football Conference (AFC): Everything you need to know
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL). The AFC was created in 1970, after the NFL and the American Football League (AFL) merged. The champion of the AFC plays the Super Bowl against the winner of the National Football Conference (NFC).
teams
Sixteen teams play in the AFC, divided into four divisions:
- AFC East: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets
- AFC North: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
- AFC South: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
- AFC West: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers
Competition course
The season in the NFL is divided into the regular season and the playoffs. In the regular season, the teams play sixteen games. For the AFC, the fixtures are determined as follows:
- 6 matches against the other teams in the division (two matches against each team).
- 4 matches against the teams from another division of the AFC.
- 2 matches against the teams from the other two divisions of the AFC, who finished in the same position last season.
- 4 matches against the teams from a division of the NFC.
In the play-offs, six teams from the AFC qualify for the play-offs. These are the four division winners, plus the top two non-winners (the wild cards). The winner of the AFC Championship Game qualifies for the Super Bowl and (since 1984) receives the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after Lamar Hunt, the founder of the AFL. The New England Patriots hold the record with XNUMX AFC titles.
AFC: The Teams
The American Football Conference (AFC) is a league with sixteen teams, divided into four divisions. Let's take a look at the teams playing in it!
AFC East
The AFC East is a division that consists of the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets. These teams are based in the eastern United States.
AFC North
The AFC North consists of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. These teams are based in the northern United States.
AFC South
The AFC South consists of the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. These teams are based in the southern United States.
AFC West
The AFC West consists of the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. These teams are based in the western United States.
If you love American Football, the AFC is the perfect place to follow your favorite teams!
How the NFL League Works
The regular season
The NFL is divided into two conferences, the AFC and the NFC. In both conferences, the regular season has a similar structure. Each team plays sixteen games:
- 6 matches against the other teams in the division (two matches against each team).
- 4 matches against teams from another division of the AFC.
- 2 matches against teams from the other two divisions of the AFC, who finished in the same position last season.
- 4 matches against teams from a division of the NFC.
There is a rotation system whereby each season each team meets an AFC team from a different division at least once every three years and an NFC team at least once every four years.
Play-offs
The six best teams from the AFC qualify for the playoffs. These are the four division winners, plus the top two non-winners (the wild cards). In the first round, the Wild Card Playoffs, the two wild cards play at home against the other two division winners. The winners qualify for the Divisional Playoffs, in which they play an away game against the top division winners. The teams that win the Divisional Playoffs advance to the AFC Championship Game, in which the highest remaining seed has home field advantage. The winner of this match will then qualify for the Super Bowl, where they will face the champion of the NFC.
A Brief History of the NFL, AFC and NFC
The NFL
The NFL has been around since 1920, but it took a long time for the AFC and NFC to be created.
The AFC and NFC
The AFC and NFC were both created in 1970 during the merger of two football leagues, the American Football League and the National Football League. The two leagues were direct competitors for a decade until the merger took place, creating an integrated National Football League divided into two conferences.
The Dominant Conference
After the merger, the AFC was the dominant conference in Super Bowl victories throughout the 70s. The NFC won a long streak of consecutive Super Bowls through the 80s and mid-90s (13 wins in a row). In recent decades, the two conferences have become more balanced. There have been occasional shifts and rebalancing of the divisions and conferences to accommodate new teams.
The Geography of the NFC and AFC
The NFC and AFC do not officially represent opposing territories, and each league has the same East, West, North, and South regional divisions. But a map of team distribution shows a concentration of AFC teams in the northeastern part of the country, from Massachusetts to Indiana, and NFC teams clustered around the Great Lakes and south.
The AFC in the Northeast
The AFC has a number of teams based in the Northeast, including the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and Indianapolis Colts. These teams are all clustered in the same region, meaning they often face each other in the league.
The NFC in the Midwest and South
The NFC has a number of teams located in the Midwest and South of the country, including the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, and Dallas Cowboys. These teams are all clustered in the same region, meaning they often face each other in the league.
The Geography of the NFL
The NFL is a national league, and the teams are spread all over the country. The AFC and NFC are both nationwide, with teams located in the Northeast, Midwest, and South. This spread ensures that the league has an interesting mix of teams, leading to interesting matches between teams from different regions.
What is the difference between the AFC and NFC?
The history
The NFL has divided its teams into two conferences, the AFC and NFC. These two names are a by-product of the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The former rival leagues joined together to make one league. The 13 remaining NFL teams formed the NFC, while the AFL teams along with the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers formed the AFC.
The Teams
The NFC teams have a much richer history than their AFC counterparts, as the NFL was founded decades before the AFL. The six oldest franchises (Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Washington Football Team) are in the NFC, and the average founding year for NFC teams is 1948. The AFC is home to 13 of the 20 newest teams, where the average franchise was founded in 1965.
The games
AFC and NFC teams rarely play each other outside of the preseason, Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl. Teams only play four interconference games per season, meaning an NFC team plays a particular AFC opponent in the regular season only once every four years and only hosts them once every eight years.
The Trophies
Since 1984, NFC champions receive the George Halas Trophy, while AFC champions win the Lamar Hunt Trophy. But in the end it is the Lombardi Trophy that counts.
